Quick-acting police officers helped a man avoid serious injury while taking three suspects into custody in San Francisco last month, a police spokesman said Thursday.
Two police officers interrupted four suspects attempting to steal a 42-year-old San Francisco man’s smartphone in the 300 block of Turk Street, which is between Leavenworth and Hyde at about 11:35 p.m. on Aug. 19, Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.
As a 42-year-old SF man paused to make a phone call, the victim was accosted by four suspects, one of whom shoved him to the ground. The suspects then demanded the victim’s phone, which also fell to the ground.
Two officers from the Tenderloin Station were passing the location of the incident in a patrol car when they heard a scream, according to Andraychak. When the officers approached the scene on foot the suspects scattered, two fleeing westbound on Turk and two fleeing eastbound.
SFPD caught the one suspect, 18-year-old Lawrence Phipps from Antioch, near Turk and Hyde streets as he was climbing over a gate into a locked parking lot with a second suspect, a 17-year-old Antiock male, was found hiding under a car, ndraychak said.
A third suspect, 20-year-old Malcom Ireland of Oakley was detained at McAllister and Market St. while the fourth suspect has yet to be found.
All three detained suspects were positively identified by the victim, as well as his cellphone, which was promptly returned to its rightful owner. All three were charged with robbery, conspiracy, and resisting delaying a peace officer.
Says the victim on SFPD’s heroic efforts, “Another few seconds and things would have turned out very differently for me, but thanks to the SFPD’s fast action not only am I unharmed, but three street criminals are apprehended and my property was returned almost instantly to boot.”
The 17-year-old was booked at the Juvenile Justice Center, and Phipps and Ireland were booked into county jail. All three were charged with robbery, conspiracy and resisting and delaying a peace officer, Andraychak said.
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